Charlie made it almost all the way to the shed before she noticed she was traveling alone, and looked over her shoulder to find Noah still standing by the back door. Rather than the timid, self-conscious little boy she had left not more than a few seconds ago, now he had suddenly turned alert and anxious, almost... wild.
Confused and a little alarmed, Charlie crossed the blacktop between them calmly, taking her time and trying to figure out what was the cause of the sudden change. But nothing came to mind in the short time it took her to stand several feet in front of the boy and come to a stop.
Charlie dropped to a crouch, making her have to stare up a bit at him. His pale blue eyes almost seemed white, this close up, focused as they were on the shed.
"Hey," she called softly, waiting until his eyes fell on her. "Are you okay? Do you need to get back to your family?" Noah flinched at the word. Charlie noticed but wisely didn't say anything. "It's okay if you have to go. You can come back any time, alright?"